DEKRA Vision Zero

The term “Vision Zero” is often used when it comes to the qualitative description of road safety. The concept means 100% safe arrivals, zero fatalities. The objective is to reduce the number of traffic fatalities to zero. Overall, we are still a relatively long way away from realizing this vision. Even so, it is no utopia. There are many towns and cities that have already achieved this aim in recent years – in Europe and elsewhere.

For the first time, relevant data on the topic of “Urban Mobility” was prepared while working on the DEKRA Road Safety Report 2014. At that time, DEKRA Accident Research had assessed accident statistics from 2009 to 2012, initially from 17 European countries. This initial assessment showed that hundreds of towns and cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants achieved the target of zero deaths caused by road accidents in at least a single year. There were also similar successes in some of the larger towns and cities with more than 100,000 or more than 200,000 inhabitants.

These findings were published in the DEKRA Road Safety Report 2014 and then set out graphically in this interactive map. Further statistical data has gradually been incorporated since then. The most up-to-date statistics available are added regularly. In addition, other countries have been added, and not only in Europe: There are also examples of towns and cities in the United States and Japan that have already achieved the target of zero deaths caused by road accidents. In the interactive map, various filters can be used to analyze in detail individual years, individual countries, or towns and cities of specific sizes.

Overall, the figures show that, far from being an illusion, “Vision Zero” is attainable in urban habitats and already a reality in many towns and cities. This highlights the need to step up efforts to learn from successful towns and cities, to further improve road safety and get ever closer to achieving the vision – including with regard to serious injuries.